To Whom It May Concern
by sirenhearts
Summary: Runaways Rose and Christian find themselves drawn back to the place where everything started after spending 5 years working within the drug dealing business. What will be waiting for them in the small city of Sanibel, New York? - DxR, LxC & All Human!


Unfortunately, Vampire Academy doesn't belong to me! It belongs to Richelle Mead :)

* * *

_To whom it may concern –_

_Today, I met him. "Him" is that guy that told me that he wanted to recruit us, that he'd pay us to do some things for him. Not gonna lie – it seemed legit, and anything is better than this shithole I'm living. He was outside the school when Christian and I walked out, looking all nonchalant and well-dressed. He looked like some big time mogul, kind of like that chick Vasilisa's brother, who's always pulling up in some fancy limo, but there's something off about this guy. His name is Isaiah, he told us. _

_He told us he was taking us to a better life._

_He seemed reliable at the time._

_- R_

* * *

"Your dog shat on my carpet again."

Christian looked up – about _time_ – gave me one look, and shrugged. When I started to glare, he pushed himself away from his computer and sighed, patting his thighs. "Dino, come here."

I crossed my arms as his corgi practically fucking flew to his lap from the couch, licking his face and neck. He laughed and rubbed him, turning his attention back to me with an innocent look. "Do you see him? He's not capable of doing something so monstrous like shit on your floor. He's too delicate to do something like that."

"Yeah? Well, you're the one who's going to be cleaning the pile – which, by the way, is literally half the size of his body – so you have fun with that. I'm out."

As always, I heard Christian say, "Where the hell are you going?"

"I need a smoke," I lied, tucking the apartment keys into the back pocket of my jeans and slipping on my hoodie. Walking towards the small mirror we had in the middle of the apartment's hallway, I gave one glance at myself and let out my own sigh, tying my massively long hair into the bun it was usually styled into nowadays. I couldn't afford to let my hair get into the way whenever I was working, and it was pretty much my most distinctive feature. Back when I was still living at home, I took pride in it and would style it in the most complicated braids or buns, or sometimes, I'd just leave it loose. I got compliments all the time about it, but now, my hair looked flat and dull – dead.

Kind of like me, actually. _Huh_.

Traces of the cheap eyeliner I had put on the night before were still on my face, despite having spent nearly an hour trying to remove it. I had run out of makeup remover wipes not too long ago, and it was a small luxury that I didn't have the time to go buy. Hopefully, I wouldn't encounter anyone that would give me a second glance.

Ignoring the stupid corgi's barks of excitement, I walked out of the apartment and hurried down the stairs of the building, grimacing at the sight of what appeared to be vomit smack-dab in the middle of the stairs. Leaning against the rail, I gagged at the scent and hurried up, desperately in need of fresh air.

Sanibel, New York was mostly known for its scenic views and the vast forest that surrounded the small city. The smell of pine and wood was constantly stuck in everyone's noses, and most of the people lived in cute little quaint cottages or big-time mansions decked out in wood and whatever else the rich people liked. I was one of the people that lived in the cottages, and I loved it. I loved Sanibel in general, really, until shit hit the fan.

Pulling out a cigarette from my pocket, I dug out my lighter and lit it, taking it in. Letting a little puff out, I kept the thing on one hand as I fished out my phone and looked through my contacts, calling the only person I ever called, besides Christian.

"Rose," A masculine voice purred on the other end, having answered in less than a second. I rolled my eyes, pulling the cigarette to my lips before letting another puff leave. "So glad to hear your voice."

"Shut the fuck up already," I grumbled, leaning my head against the oddly cold walls of the apartment complex. "We've rented an apartment outside of Sanibel – some city called Greenville, or whatever – and I plan on heading there in a couple of hours. What am I supposed to be looking for?"

Normally, Isaiah pretty much tries to murder me whenever I talked to him rudely, but having spent the past five years with him on my ass, I could care less of what he feels. I've grown to learn how he acts, and he knows how petty and easily annoyed I get, so I'm 100 percent positive he just acts like a little bitch to see my reaction. It works, most of the time. His rich laughter filled my left ear as I lifted my right foot to lean against the wall, hoping to get some sort of comfort. I eyed a girl – mid twenties, five feet and a half, it looked – walk past me, laughing as she clung on to some sleaze ball. "Head to the diner they have there. Cozy little place, I've heard. Find out where Angeline's gone, and once you do, go for the usual. Simple and quick."

"Simple for you," I retorted, throwing the cigarette to the side. Little comfort did it bring me now. "How much for the job?"

I heard an impatient sound on the other line. "1k. I'm not going any higher."

Playing with a loose thread of my jeans, I contemplated for a moment or two. Christian could easily get us any money if we ever got stuck, though rarely did he ever like doing it anymore. One thousand wasn't going to keep us on our feet for too long, and even though Christian and I had a love-hate relationship going on, I didn't want to put him through that again. "1.8k and you've got a deal."

"Do you think I shit money, Hathaway?"

"Was that a question? Because I have an amazing retort."

I waited about five seconds until Isaiah responded back. "1.5k."

"1.7k."

"Deal. Do the job, and you've got your money." Something from his tone made me suspicious, but I ignored it. It wasn't like Isaiah to lie about things like these, so I had little doubt whether he'd deliver. "I'm counting on you, Rose."

I hung up on him, staring at the street in front of me. Lunch would have just ended for just about all the fancy workers out there, so I'd get to Sanibel by dinner, which was fine by me.

* * *

"You look like you've just skipped out of a drug den," Christian snipped, laughter evident on his voice as he adjusted my neon blue wig again. "Can I take a picture?"

"Hell no," I quipped, reaching back to blindly pinch him. He moved away just in time, his laugh eventually escaping. With one final adjustment, I reached up to pull on one of my blue haired strands. The mirror in front of me showed a young woman with a short cut bob done in an obnoxious color – it was a pain in the ass getting all my hair tied up and well-hidden – and I wore the cleanest pair of jeans I had, along with some fancy shirt and a scarf. As far as I was concerned, the biggest mess was on my face.

Considering how my eyeliner refused to go away, it only made the circles underneath my eyes even more evident, and I had painted my lips a deep red, along with some eyeliner and blush to give my pale face more color. I looked like a circus freak.

Christian had done my makeup.

"Christian –" I sighed, standing up and pulling up my jeans, which kept falling, "you're shit at makeup."

He bowed, to my utter annoyance. "Your wish is my command, but it doesn't mean I have to do it perfectly."

Rolling my eyes, I ruffled his hair and trudged uncomfortably down to my bedroom, these uncomfortable pumps digging into my heels. With the wreck Christian turned me into, I should be able to pass as a prostitute of sorts. Or maybe a drugged-up chick. Either would work. I was more concerned with locating this Angeline chick than how I looked.

Fixing up my uncomfortable push-up bra, I made sure I had nothing on me that would identify the real me. Mom's weird eyelet bracelet thing? Tucked into the bottom of my mattress. School ID? Long lost. Falsified driving license? In my wallet, which was in my duffel bag. Everything seemed to check out. Pulling on my satchel, I walked out, tucking a wad of cash into my bra before making way to the living room, where Christian was busy once more with his laptop.

Before I could leave, he spoke up. "Call me when you get there and when you leave. If you need any help, I'll be there as fast as I can." He looked up. "Are you sure you don't want me to give you a mic?"

"You're going to fall asleep waiting for action," I reassured him, pulling up my stupid jeans again. "What are you going to get for dinner?"

Moving his head to the side, he threw me a look. "Thai looks good. I was thinking pizza, but we had that yesterday."

Long ago, back when this all started, Christian took it upon himself to cook our meals with the ingredients we'd buy from markets and such. He liked cooking and cleaning, so I usually referred to him as a handy househusband, which he hated. It wasn't until things went down the drain and we spent more time on the run instead of staying in a place for more than a month that I decided we couldn't afford to get too comfortable, so we've resorted to buying fast food or junk food for nutrition. As long as it filled out stomachs, I cared little about the shit we ate.

To put it simply, Christian was the househusband, and I was in charge of bringing in the money.

We operated quite well, actually. Though our personalities clash and Christian gets on my nerves constantly, we've been best friends since forever, and we've grown to depend on each other. Being away from him made me anxious and worried me often, considering how the dude was shit at talking with people besides me and had the temper of a bull, and he's gotten in trouble before. Nowadays, I only let him out to walk the stupid dog and to buy us food, which he also hates, but there's not much he can do about it. When I set my mind on something, it stays like that until I say so.

Waving a quick goodbye, I hurried to the bus stop that lead to Sanibel. At most, it'd be a 30 minute ride, so once I got in the bus, I cozied up in my seat and looked at the scenery the road offered. It started to rain fifteen minutes in, which worried me, considering how I had forgotten to bring an umbrella or jacket. Thankfully, the rain stopped just when the bus arrived to Sanibel, so besides dealing with mushy roads, I didn't have to worry about the weather.

"Shit," I grumbled in annoyance when my foot plunged into a puddle. I shook it out as I walked; ignoring the looks the passengers threw me as I continued my walk towards the café, which was conveniently two blocks away from the bus stop. Little kids ran past me as I walked, which made me slightly nostalgic, and the sight of the café only made me want to run right in and scream out that I was back. I managed to refrain myself from doing such ridiculousness, opening the doors as the usual bell sound ran throughout the small café, calling the attention of the few people inside.

A table was filled with guys decked out in police uniforms, and there was one or two that were dressed a little more casually, but their badges were in display. I nearly took a 180 out the door at the sight of them.

They were conversing lightly, and it was their voices that filled the café. My eyes only skimmed them as I passed them to get the corner booth, eyes locking with the tallest guy there. Even sitting down, I could tell he was wearing what looked to be like a duster, and his hair was tied back in a casual matter, totally ignoring the fact that the dude was hot. I managed to keep from frowning at the sight of his badge – detective? He wasn't wearing the usual uniform – and took my seat, clearing my throat and trying to flag down one of the three waitresses.

The one that came to my call was… crazy? Crazy. Her hair was a total train wreck – worse than mine, which was definitely bad – and her makeup was also horrifying. She had placed her false eyelashes terribly, and her lips were a bright, Barbie pink color, and her uniform was slightly shorter and less decent than the other waitresses. She was also chewing her gum obnoxiously, and looked like someone I would definitely not get along with. Not to mention, I've never seen her before.

"Welcome to Mandy's," She greeted, raising an eyebrow at me. "What'd you like?"

My eyes flitted all over the place. "Uh… there isn't a menu?"

The girl raised both of her eyebrows. "I thought you had one."

Did it _look_ like I had one? God. Back when Christian and I were still living here, we frequented this café every day after school, and the waitresses were more than competent. Not to mention, most had 20/20 eyesight, unlike this chick. I really didn't have much of a problem with her outfit – it's like the pot calling the kettle black – but it was annoying me how this girl was acting. Throwing her a fake smile, I shook my head. "I don't have one."

Letting out a sigh – God, did that irk me – she shuffled back towards the counter, pulling out a menu and handing it to me with a blatantly false smile. "Let me guess. You're a drifter?"

"Am I that obvious?" I muttered under my breath as I looked at the menu. I wasn't hungry, unfortunately, because I knew the food here was glorious. I use to inhale it back in my days. "I guess I'll just have a chocolate milkshake. Maybe some fries, too."

The girl scribbled it down in her pad, and as she did, I caught sight of her name tag. "Angeline", it read.

Wow. Things were in my favor, it seemed. Now, to find a way to get her into the alley by the café was a bit more complicated.

"I'll be back with your order," She informed me, walking off towards the back of the counter. I barely gave her a nod as I started to pull on a loose thread on my shirt, looking out the window. How did I miss that patrol car? Literally, it was _right_ there. I sighed quietly, turning my attention back to the café.

The guy from earlier – the one with the duster – was looking at me.

Shit.

* * *

Woot! First chapter up and checked. Being my first story here, let me know what you guys think! I'll update as soon as I can. Also, if any of you are confused on what's going on here, everything (hopefully) will be clarified in the next chapter. Leave some reviews!

x S


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